We try to vary the dive sites as much as possible, particularly from April to September, however in the winter we tend to dive in Loch Long or Loch Fyne as they are fairly quick to get to when the hours of daylight are few.
Cuckoo Wrasse(right)
Water temperatures vary between 4oc in the middle of winter to 15oc in the height of summer, so dry suits are a normal requirement in Scotland. Visibility can also be quite variable, from a metre or 2 to 15 metres. Very occasionally the visibility can be as good as 20-30 metres, but this is very rare. Typical underwater visibility is around 4-8 metres.
Brian at the Garvellachs with 8metre visibility
Here are just a few sites many of us have visited:
Great Cumbrae,
Little Cumbrae, The Caves-Loch Long, Ali’s Reef(Conger Alley)- Loch Long, St.Catherines-Loch Fyne, Goirtein-Loch Fyne, Furnace-Loch Fyne,
Stallion Rock-Loch Fyne, Carsaig Bay-Sound of Jura, Ardnoe Point-Sound of Jura,
Sound of Kererra-Oban, Maiden Island-Oban, Wreck SS. Breda-Oban,
Sound of Mull wrecks: SS Thesis, SS Rondo, SS Hispania, Calf Island Cliff Face, Lochaline Pier Cliff Face, St. Kilda, Summer Isles (NW Scotland)
Scapa Flow German Fleet wrecks (Orkney), St. Abbs, Eyemouth FarneIslands (NE. England)
On the wreck of the SS Rondho in the Sound of Mull. The rudder(here) is in 10metres depth and the bow of the ship is in 55metres depth, the wreck lying down the slope of a steep cliff.
Trying to catch a plate full of Prawns is impossible. Better just to enjoy watching them underneath rock ledges.
Here is a place which we would all love to have as a "regular" dive location. St.Kilda is a World Heritage Site and the Archipelago is owned by the National Trust for Scotland.
One of the best views in the UK. Village Bay,St.Kilda on a tranquil afternoon. You can see the "Base" to the left of the Bay and some of the remains of the original village to the centre & right foreground, with the island of Dun behind.
And talking of "regulars", this would be fantastic! From left to right, in the Puff Inn, St.Kilda are Keith, Joe, Graham, Tom & Debbie. The beer was £1/pint in May 2005. Brilliant! Unfortunately, the approach to St. Kilda is across 40miles of very open sea.
All the St.Kilda photographs above were taken in May 2005.
